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Sports floors for the fitness center and workout gym

The floors in workout gyms, fitness centers and other sports facilities undergo stress every day. They must withstand jumping, running, sometimes weights dropping on them, balls dribbling on them and other activities. Which floorings can take it?

Imagine that you are the owner of a small fitness center. Customers are flocking to you because getting in shape is the latest fad. But you don’t have enough money to afford expensive technology or a company to install it for you. Or you’re just somebody who wants to install a modest home gym. Will a rugged carpet, rubber floor or ordinary floating floor be enough for you, or are you looking for something special? Consider Fortelock PVC floor tiles.

Why does Fortelock make a good sports floor and what makes it different from other options?

Fortelock PVC floor tiles are used in every room imaginable, from garages and children’s playrooms to sports centers, workout gyms, gymnasiums and fitness centers. It can handle a heavy workload because its system of locks holds firmly in place. Not even dumbbells, the skipping and running of children, are a problem. The Fortelock sports floor absorbs shocks and reduces noise. There is also the variation Fortelock Light, which can withstand built-up trainers, workout machines and all normal operations.

It also easily deals with sweat and spilled drinks. It is, after all, meant to handle chemical spills. The locks are sealed so tight that the bare minimum amount of liquids manage to get into the gaps and those that do soon evaporate thanks to the AirFlow system of channels. All dirt, moreover, can be easily wiped away and the floor disinfected time to time – the surface doesn’t stick, which isn’t normal for wooden deck floors.

A lot of people mistakenly believe that PVC floor coverings are slippery, and a slippery gymnasium is the last thing anybody wants. The Fortelock sports floor has a specially designed non-slip tread. There’s no slipping in your socks, let alone your shoes. You can even go around on it barefoot, the surface is quite pleasant.

If you can’t believe it, take a look at this comparison of several parameters for different types of sports floorings. You will see that Fortelock is tops in surface hardness, so it can easily take a load or fallen dumbbell. The data in the table below also shows that there’s no problem leaving machines set up on the floor, because they won’t damage it, and any deformation will be minimal.

Reaction to fire

Deformation after stress

Slip resistance

PVC floor

Not easily flammable

< 0.1 mm

up to 0.75

Deck floor

Easily flammable (Ffl)

2.5 mm

0.5 to 0.75

Rubber floor

Easily flammable

0.6 mm

0.81

* These values are only indicative. They may depend on the types of products

And what about the costs?

Where does Fortelock fall short compared to other options? In addition to a slightly higher price, PVC floor tiles come in a limited number of colors. These tiles are produced in more than 10 shades and it’s no problem to combine several of them in one room, but creating lines and signs with tiles in a gymnasium is practically impossible. What can be created without any problem is the delineation of the training area – e.g. you can put yellow tiles under the machines and gray ones in the aisles.

Fortelock PVC floor tiles are not among the very cheapest of floors, but are unbeatable as a long-term investment. They truly last for many years, and if one of the tiles breaks, it’s easy to replace it alone. There’s no need to call in specialists to repair the floor in the gym, you can do it yourself. The floor isn’t glued, so it’s no problem to renovate, for example, only tiles in the aisles, where most of the traffic is. Alternatively, if you’re renting the space and decide to move, you can simply take the floor apart and take it with you.

You can also save a lot on installation. You don’t have to be a handyman to be able to put it in yourself. The substrate doesn’t need to be prepared in any way and you can save yourself about half the time. There’s no need for any glue either. Simply snap the interlocking pieces together. All you need for the installation is a rubber hammer.

PVC floor tiles can be installed in any fitness center, gym, sports hall or home exercise room. The only exception are outdoor spaces where you plan to give it to your body. This type of flooring doesn’t belong outside.